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These are what we call the 'YMMV items.' Things that some people find in this work. We call them 'your mileage might vary' because not everyone sees these things in the same way. This starts discussions in the trope lists, a thing we don't want. Please use the discussion page if you'd like to discuss any of these items.

Adaptation Displacement: It's also rather strange that few people know it was based on a book since it mentions in the opening credits that the movie was based on Felix Salten's story...

Not only that, it's a serious, gritty book for adults. Most people, though, would assume that it's a pop-up book or something.

The poster for the movie was a picture of the book.

Alternative Character Interpretation: The hunter. A bloodthirsty Evil Poacher who hunts for the fun of killing animals, an ordinary sport hunter with no evil intent (less likely, given how it was and is illegal to shoot deer out of season), or just a poor, hungry man desperate to fill the cooking pot?

Awesome Art: This was one of the first Disney movies to have animals (in this case, deer) brought to the studio for the artists to closely reference for more accurate depictions of their movement, as opposed to the deer in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which look like flour sacks with long legsnote Which is appropriate, as tumbling flour sacks are usually the first thing animators learn to animate. The result is easily one of the most beautiful films Disney ever made.

The midquel had a surprisingly large budget for most DTV fare (enough to gain a theatrical release in several regions), resulting in animation and visuals that can almost match the original.

"Love is a song that never ends", the theme of the first film. It even pops up as an instrumental leitmotif in the midquel.

"I Bring You A Song", the love theme between Bambi and Faline.

Badass Decay: Depends on your opinion. Either the midquel did a pretty good job of doing this to the formerly solemn and dignified Great Prince, or it makes him more badass by boosting his Papa Wolf tendencies and having him directly take on a pack of vicious hunting dogs to save his son, all the while voiced by Patrick Stewart this time round.

Family-Unfriendly Aesop: In the original novel, Bambi learns that he must live all alone to live long and safe. He learns this one from the (supposedly) wise Great Prince, of all deer.

Faux Symbolism: The scene where Bambi goes with his father after learning about his mother's death symbolizes the end of his childhood and innocence. This was exactly what Disney was going for with that scene.

It was revealed in the Making of Bambi II that the butterflies seen in Bambi's dream sequence and at the end of the movie are meant to symbolize Bambi's love for his mother in the former and his father in the latter. D'awww.

Foe Yay: In Bambi II. If you mute the audio, it often looks as if Ronno is hitting on Bambi.

Hilarious in Hindsight: in 2002, Saturday Night Live TV Funhouse lampooned Disney's infamous direct to video sequels by having a skit about "Bambi 2002". Fast forward to 2006, and Disney would release a direct to video Bambi follow up (albeit a midquel, not a sequel). In a later skit, they acknowledged the midquel along with their Bambi 2002;

"Bambi II is going into the Disney Vault. After just 70 days on sale, the glorious Bambi II goes into the Disney Vault for 10 years along with Cinderella II, Bambi 2002, Sleeping Beauty III: Lil' Sleepy Meets Aladdin, Hunchback VI: Air Dog Quasi, Mulan VIII: The Prozoids Strike Back, Jungle Book 3.0: Jungle Blog, and 101 Felations."

Within the studio, "Man is in the forest" became code amongst the animators for when Walt was coming by to look at their work.

One-Scene Wonder: Ronno in the original film. He comes literally out of nowhere, has no dialogue, no real characterization and isn't even named, and only has a couple minutes of screen time—but what a scene it is!

To a lesser degree, that poor bird that gets frightened out of her hiding spot when the hunters arrive, pretty much for the same reason.

The death of Bambi's mom is one of the most famous tearjerkers in the history of film, to the point it's been parodied relentlessly in the seventy years since its release (q.v. the Animaniacs episode "Bumbie's Mom"). Watching the scene in context, seeing his mother give up her own life just for Bambi to survive, as well as Bambi being told by the Great Prince what happened to her is the cinematic equilivent of a punch to the gut.

The midquel also has a bit of well executed Tear Jerker, specifically in Bambi's dream sequence and the aftermath of the "Deer Call" scene, when Bambi finally comes to accept that his mother is never coming back.

Vindicated by History: Thanks to extremely mixed reception from critics of the time period, and the war going on at the time, Bambi, along with Fantasia and Pinocchio before it, was a huge box office flop when it first unspooled in theaters. Nowadays, it's one of Disney's most financially successful and critically well received movies.

Wangst: Bambi has this moment in Bambi II when he discovers his father was planning to send him off to live with another doe. And this is after they actually began to develop a bond with each other! And why? All because it's ''what a prince would do.'' It actually gets Bambi so upset that he tells his dad:

Visual Effects of Awesome: Bambi had more multiplane camera shots than any other film in Disney's history, and they are used to stunning effect, especially during the final shot of the opening, the "Little April Showers" sequence, and the ending. And then there's the painstakingly elaborate effects animation of the climatic forest fire...

The midquel also set itself apart from most Disney sequel fare by having an impressive animation budget. Some of the forest shots are as lush as the original film and some impressively animated panning shots are used.

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